Nobody could have predicted the shape of 2020, but we’re finally here – 2021, a brand new year. So many within our small business community are crossing their fingers for a much smoother ride. Dealing with COVID restrictions and their impact on everyday life while managing the changes within our small businesses was far from easy. Luckily it’s the small steps we make toward looking after ourselves that make a difference at this time of year. For 5 simple daily changes that make you feel more positive, keep reading!
It can be so easy for us to take our mental health for granted; to prioritise other things; to put it off until next week. It can also seem too big and too hard. But it’s not. There are some things everyone can do to feel better!
Here are five simple changes you can make starting today to help you feel more positive about your life and your business.
1. Make time for self-care
Real self-care has very little to do with going for a pedicure or making time for a jog. While those activities can be relaxing, proper self-care is about doing one thing every day that helps you feel stronger.
Working for yourself has loads of advantages, and it has challenges too. Some strategies we have developed is to build up a network of colleagues and good friends, who we can lean on in times of need. Finding time to do a walk or meditation before or after work is also beneficial!
2. Define your hours and stick to them
As small business owners, we must make time for a break, and at hectic times of the year, that means setting some boundaries around our time. The “always-on” mentality can wear us down toward the end of a wild year and we must guard our time and our rest.
Committing to shutting off our computers half an hour earlier each day in peak seasons is advantageous. Even this small window of time gives us more energy and helps to unwind and this can only mean good things for the way we approach our work in the new year.
3. Say “no”
It sounds so simple, but it’s probably the most useful thing we can do at times, as small business owners. Sit down and make an exact list of your top 5 priorities at work and home and say no to everything (and we mean everything!) that crops up in between.
Rather than jumping in with an immediate yes to requests for help, remind yourself that every time you say yes to someone: you are saying no to yourself… Don’t confuse problem-solving with the need to take on endless amounts of work. It’s all about prioritising, delegating and rejecting.
4. Develop/maintain good habits
Why not use this time to commit to more sleep, more movement and more fresh fruit and vegetables and socialise with people who uplift you.
Don’t look back, except to remember lessons learned in 2020 and maybe laugh at what truly was an unprecedented year. Instead choose to look forward with hope, determination and appreciation. This one mindful decision can produce positive emotions and energy, spurring us into action, ready to create the future we desire.
5. Reach out
The people we surround ourselves with have an enormous impact on the way we feel about our lives. Connecting with friends and family this year is more critical than ever, thanks to the easing of restrictions. But it’s also a great time of year to make new connections via social networking and platforms like Mackay Business Beacon, Meetup or Eventbrite that connect you to like-minded people in your local area.
For more tips and resources to support the health and wellbeing of our small business community, please reach out to our Team, we are here for you.
Simple daily changes brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders and the DGL Team.